Selwyn House School - Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 1966-1967 21 fident good wishes as they go forward to the battle of the matrics and every blessing in the wider challenging world beyond. They have all worked with a will but none has worked as hard as the Staff itself and to Mr. Phillips, Mr. Moodey, Col. Brine, Mrs. Markland and all my other colleagues I should like to tender a very personal and heart-felt Thank You for a good job well done, not only for the extreme competence with which the day-by-day work is accomplished but also for the devotion with which all the extra tasks are so enthusiastically performed which transforms school instruction into genuine and unforgettable education. After a number of changes in staff last year I am relieved to report that only one is leaving us now - but he will be very sorely missed. Mr. Sher- wood has been appointed housemaster of the Junior School at Ashbury College, Ottawa. He has made himself so much a part of this school as a dynamic coach in football, hockey and skiing where his qualities of determination and per- sistence, his mastery of techniques and his insight into the talent possibilities in his students have enabled us to produce teams of which we have been very proud indeed. Our best wishes to Mr. Sherwood as he undertakes his very res- ponsible duties at Ashbury and we hope to see him from time to time on visits to Montreal. To replace Mr. Sherwood we have been fortunate in securing the services of Mr. G. C. Ian Burgess, a graduate of Westmount High School and Sir George Williams University who has been on the staff of West Hill High School for the past three years as a teacher of English and coach of the Bantam Football and Hockey Teams. Also joining the Staff in September will be Mr. Ronald A. Lead- better, graduate of Westmount High School and McGill University, who will be helping us with middle school teaching and the sports programme. In conclusion Mr. Speirs expressed a very deep appreciation of the direc- tion of the Board of Governors and especially its Chairman, Mr. Norsworthy, saying how vital their experience, judgment and practical vision were at this significant juncture in the school system. He also thanked the parents for their unfailing support and co-operation throughout a very busy and fruitful academic year. REIVIEIVIBRANCE DAY llth November 1966 Address by Roy A. Gentles to Selwyn House School assembly When I was about the age of the older boys present today, the First World War was just about as far behind me as the Second World War is now behind you. I recall the Memorial Services I used to attend in those days and subsequent events have made me realize that I really didn't appreciate fully their purpose. Maybe some of you are experiencing the same difficulty today. Certainly war, with all its waste and personal sacrifices, is something that is to be avoided if at all possible. Neither I nor my friends when we sat in our classrooms in 1939 - the same as you will be sitting in your's today - envisaged that within the next few months there was any possibility of our being called upon to fight a war. However, when a bully is browbeating you there is a point where you either have to make a stand or lose your basic free- dom and with it your self-esteem. This was the position in which Britain, Canada, and our other allies found ourselves in the Fall of 1939. Shortly thereafter my classmates and I, whom I believe were probably very much the same as you, with the same beliefs, interests, and likes and dis- likes, found ourselves in one of the Armed Services. Some did not return.

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2O SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE The Headmaster Report In his Headmaster's Report Mr. Speirs indicated that the for-reaching changes recommended by the Parent Commission would, undoubtedly, affect the Independent Schools but he was confident that through the Quebec Associa- tion of Independent Schools the Ministry of Education would be kept cognizant of our position and that we would be able to work harmoniously with Quebec in carrying on our important work. Turning to internal matters he continued I should like to comment briefly on some of the highlights of the year. The sports programme has expanded and consolidated. Our third-year football team showed splendid spirit and determi- nation, winning all games but one, whilst the bantam team battled against heavy odds, climaxing a hard-fought season with a cliff-hanger game against B.C.S. which we won. The Under I3 Soccer team had o IO0'to victory season, with the Wanstall Cup happily in its possession once more. In hockey the seniors won half their games, the Bantams after a shaky start won the last six straight, while the Under I3 experienced either decisive victories or equally decisive de- feats. Perhaps our most noteworthy success in sports was our winning of the Hec- tor Sutherland Ski-ing trophy in the keenest of inter-school competition with our ancient rivals, and special tribute should be paid to Michael Culver, team captain, for his fine leadership. Without a fine corps of competent and enthu- siastic coaches, their good results would have been impossible and I would like to congratulate Mr. Anderson, Mr. Sherwood, Mr. Messenger, Mr. Tees, Mr. Moss- Davies, Mr. Lewis and Mr. lversen and all other masters who assisted with the various teams. From the school magazine published once more under the able direction of Col. Brine, you can get some idea of the multiplicity of organised activities that make up the busy extra-curricular life of our school. In this short report I cannot refer to them all, but I should like to mention the debating groups under Mr. Hill and Mr. Becker, the dramatics under Mrs. Marsh and Mr. Moss-Davies, the special gymnastic work under the direction of Mr. Lewis - involving a de- monstration before the Canadian Association of Physical Education, a Y.M.C.A. competition against other Westmount Schools in which we won every event entered, a T.V. presentation of gymnastic movements and a highly popular house competition involving some I20 boys. I should like also to mention the fine T.V. performance of a special choir under the capable direction of Mr. Phillps and all his fine work for the carol concerts and school functions. I am very happy to report the continuation of our scholarship scheme inaugurated in 1965. Last year we gave one full outside scholarship and two bursaries and two inside school scholarships - all of which will be continued. This year under the direction of Col. Brine, we held another most successful scholarship examination for admission to our Form Ill IGrade VID. Competition was of the keenest and we awarded two outside scholarships - to Michael Lapin of Roslyn School and Ian Brown of Briarwood Elementary School and one outside bursary to Andrew Ford of Beaconsfield Elementary School as well as two inside shared scholarships to David Knight and John Wooler, all tenable to matri- culation. I should like to say a special word at this time to the graduating class. This is the group that sets the tone for the whole school and we have been very fortunate in the calibre of our Form VII this year. In all the varied departments of academic, athletic and administrative experience they have shown good lead- ership, an excellent spirit, and a genuine desire to give everything they have in their all-round activities with that happy blend of seriousness and humour, and an inexhaustible fund of cheerful vitality, and we would extend to them our con-

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22 SELWYN HOUSE SCHOOL MAGAZINE It is these who made the supreme sacrifice that we are remembering for a few brief seconds today. I ask myself, Can we fulfill our obligation to them in a few minutes' memorial service once a year. What is our debt to them? . If you were drowning in a lake and your friend came in to save you and somehow you were saved by his efforts but he was drowned, I am sure each of you would feel great indebtedness to him for the rest of your life. In a sense, this is the type of contribution that those who died during the war have made to us. They have saved our fundamental freedoms and in so doing I am sure that they did so with the hope that those who were left and those who followed after them would constantly strive to protect those freedoms and to build a better world. As our Minister said on Sunday, Life is like a relay race with the baton being passed from one generation to another. At the time they made the supreme sacrifice, those who died in the war passed on to us - you and me - their baton. How do we carry it so that we don't let them down and so that when we pass the baton to those that follow they will not be behind the pace? I believe that basically the answer is that each one of us here today must continuously be on guard and strive to ensure that those freedoms which were protected and passed along to us are never lost. Secondly, we must - each and every one of us - constantly seek ways and means of contributing to the improvement of our society. Obviously, at different ages the manner in which we can pursue these aims will vary. In your case, although there are many facets open to you, I would like to suggest that one of the more important ways of meeting your obligation is to keep informed on what is happening in your country and the world. You should be aware of where, how, and by whom basic liberties and inalienable rights are being threatened so that you can, as circumstances permit, constructi- vely contribute to the force of public opinion. By keeping well informed on cur- rent events, both in Canada and throughout the world, you will also be in a posi- tion to evaluate and form opinions upon maior developments in accordance with the fundamental principles of Truth, Righteousness and Justice . ln this manner you will be a better citizen and making a concrete contribution towards a better society. Therefore, I would like to suggest that these brief Memorial Services held once a year are not only occasions on which we remember those who died in the wars. Equally important, they are the occasion when we must audit our cons- ciences to determine whether over the past year we have made an honest effort to constantly carry the baton at a pace which will meet the debt we owe to those who made the supreme sacrifices on our behalf. In a sense it is the me- mory of them that is our chief auditor in this yearly audit.